WILTON, Conn. — A 43-year-old Wilton man who worked as a police officer in Cheshire was arrested last Thursday and charged with stealing nearly $50,000 from the department's police union, according to the state Department of Criminal Justice.

Robert A. Anderson Jr., of Powder Horn Hill Road, is accused of stealing more than $22,000 in cash through ATM withdrawals and another $27,400 through debit card transactions from the union’s bank accounts, the department said in a statement.

Anderson was employed as a Cheshire police officer until Sept. 20, 2013, when he resigned. He served as president of the union in 2008 and as vice president from 2011 through the end of 2012.

Anderson was arrested by inspectors from the Statewide Prosecution Bureau and charged with two counts of first-degree larceny, a felony. These charges are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $15,000 on each count. He was released on $100,000 bond and is scheduled to arraigned in Meriden Superior Court on Jan. 17.

Anderson’s arrest was the result of an investigation that began last February, after a complaint of missing funds was made with the Statewide Prosecution Bureau by Cheshire Police Chief Neil Dryfe and leaders of the Cheshire Police Union.

The case is being prosecuted by the Statewide Prosecution Bureau, which is continuing its investigation into the suspected theft of funds from the Cheshire Police Union.